A Visible Language Analysis of User-Interface Design Components and Culture Dimensions

Abstract

Bringing theory to practice, these authors apply the cultural dimensions of Geert Hofstede to international corporate web design. Against Hofstede’s dimensions of power distance, individualism, gender bias, uncertainty avoidance and time orientation, five interface components are examined — metaphors, mental model, navigation, appearance and interaction. Through careful analysis and presentation of existing websites, cultural difference and similarity is revealed. Whether these differences can be explained by Hofstede’s findings is an open question. The approaches of cultural analysis and interface component analysis bring to attention the complex decisions required in the construction of meaningful websites designed to cross borders.